The Support Team

While visiting a friend in the hospital, recently, our conversation was interrupted by three women who entered the room.  One pushed a blood pressure, temperature, etc. monitor cart, while the others clutched clipboards and pens. Cheerily they introduced themselves as the patient’s “Support Team“.  They went on to say that it was their daily job to check in on each patient. The purpose of their visit wasn’t completely social, instead they asked questions like: Are the medications controlling your pain level? Is the food to your liking?  Can we do anything to make your stay more comfortable? Etc. In other words they wanted to make sure nothing was lacking in the care my friend was receiving, and if it was, they were there to fix it.  I joked that I’d like to be visited by this group on a daily basis too. Who would turn down the opportunity to have their needs met, and never suffer lack?  

The fact is when you fully trust in God, this same kind of support team becomes available to us.  Now don‘t think that he‘s some kind of genie in a lamp, who appears in a puff of smoke ready to grant our every wish. Nice as that may seem, being lack-free is not a matter of having all that we “want“. We all know that what we want, and what we need are two different things.  For instance, I may want a big ole Snicker bar, but my body needs fresh fruit. God offers us a "super hero" support team in the form of the Trinity, who is there to bolster up our areas of lack.  Those missing parts may be physical, emotional, or even financial.  Most of all he wants us to be full of the spiritual gifts, the intangible things that only he can supply.  These precious gifts include prophecy, knowledge, faith, healing and the ability to give good advice to name just a few.

Paul knew that the church needed to be encouraged by God‘s support team when he wrote these words, “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus, who will sustain you to the end…” 1 Corinthians 1:4-7. So the next time you need something, call in the Team, remember he also tells us “You do not have because you do not ask God.” James 4:2.